Japan’s Fisheries Agency announced that the captain of the Chinese vessel was arrested on suspicion of failing to comply with an order to stop for a maritime inspection.
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Published February 13, 2026
Japanese authorities have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain on suspicion of disobeying an order by fisheries authorities to stop for inspection within Japan’s exclusive maritime economic zone, officials announced.
Japan has seized South Korean and Taiwanese fishing boats in recent years, but this incident is the first involving a Chinese fishing vessel since 2022 and could increase tensions between Tokyo and China following a bitter diplomatic dispute between the two countries late last year.
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Japan’s Fisheries Agency said Friday that the ship’s captain, a 47-year-old Chinese national, was arrested and charged with “attempting to evade inspection on board” on Thursday in waters off Japan’s southwest Nagasaki prefecture, 89.4 nautical miles (165 kilometers) south-southwest of Mejima.
“The captain of the vessel was ordered by a fisheries inspector to stop for inspection, but the vessel did not comply and fled,” the agency said in a statement.
“As a result, the captain was arrested on the same day,” authorities said. There were 10 more people on the ship at the time, authorities added.
Japanese broadcaster NHK said the vessel was “capable of catching large quantities of fish such as mackerel and horse mackerel.”
“The agency believes that the ship may have entered Japan’s EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and engaged in illegal fishing operations. It has not been made clear whether the captain has admitted to the charges, as it could affect the investigation,” NHK reported.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Friday.
China has many territorial disputes with Japan, and incidents have repeatedly occurred around Japan’s Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyu Islands.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a regular press conference on Friday that Japan “will continue to take decisive action in enforcement operations to prevent and deter illegal fishing operations by foreign vessels.”
In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi infuriated China by suggesting that Japan might intervene militarily if China tried to seize Taiwan, which it claims as territory, by force.
The Chinese government summoned the Tokyo ambassador to condemn Gaoichi’s comments, warned Chinese citizens not to visit Japan, and conducted joint air exercises with Russia in the East China Sea and Western Pacific.
China has also reportedly tightened export controls to Japan on items with potential military uses and suspended imports of Japanese seafood.
